Pre starters

Entrée

Mains

Served with

Saffron Rice

Salad

Raita

Plain naan & Roti

Desserts

Pista Kulfi

Gulab Jamuns

Drinks –choice of

Softdrinks

Juice

Glossary Of Indian Restaurant Curries

Balti

Balti is more a style of cooking than one particular curry. The word balti can be translated as “bucket” (I.E. A cooking pan) and some say the style of cooking is indigenous to an area of northern Pakistan known as Baltistan. A balti pan is basically a karahi which has the shape of a Chinese wok but with 2 small round handles on either side of the pan instead of one long handle. In specialist “balti houses” the balti is a meal in itself which contains both meat and vegetables and is eaten straight from the karahi using curled up pieces of nan bread. In standard Indian restaurants, the balti is more of a stir-fried curry containing plenty of fried green peppers and fresh coriander (an equivalent word in American English cilantro). Medium hot.

Bhuna

Bhuna is first and foremost a cooking process where spices are gently fried in plenty of oil to bring out their flavour. The dish “bhuna” is an extension of that process where meat is added to the spices and then cooked in its own juices which results in deep strong flavours but very little sauce. The restaurant bhuna is a well-spiced curry with a thick sauce. It is often garnished with fried green peppers (an equivalent word in American English bell peppers) and shredded onions. Usually medium hot although I have had some pretty hot ones in my time.

Biryani

Biryani is not a curry at all but the curry connection comes from the mixed vegetable curry with which it is served in most indian restaurants. Biryani originated in persia and, at its simplest, was rice and meat baked together in the oven. The cooks to the moghul emperors took the biryani and transformed it into a courtly delicacy by adding aromatic spices and other exotic ingredients. Traditionally, biryanis are baked in the oven for some time so the aromatic spices and juices from the meat permeate the rice.

Madras

The curry house Madras is a restaurant invention which started life as simply a hotted up version of the standard restaurant curry. Because it is a restaurant invention rather than a traditional recipe the madras can vary considerably from one restaurant to another. The restaurant madras can be hot or very hot, red or brown, a hotter version of a plain curry or quite rich in tomatoes. Mostly though it comes with plenty of sauce and is strongly spiced. It is the standard restaurant hot curry.

Korma

A traditional korma will have long slow cooking. In fact, Korma is not one particular dish but rather a method of cooking similar to braising. Because Korma is a cooking method there are a wide variety of dishes that could be described as “Korma”. Many kormas call for the meat to be marinated in yoghurt and then the meat plus marinade are braised on very low heat until all the juices condense down into a thick sauce. The restaurant chef has to cook to order so doesn’t have time for long, slow cooking. The korma you find in Indian restaurants usually contains ground almonds, coconut and thick cream. It is often described on restaurant menus as being “very mild” but a good korma should not be bland.

Rogan Josh

Rogan josh is another all-time favourite on the curry house menu. It was originally a Kashmiri dish but is equally at home in Punjab. An authentic rogan josh will be made with lamb and may, at its most elaborate, contain dozens of spices. The Kashmiri and Punjabi versions do differ (the Kashmiri does not traditionally contain onions or garlic) but they are both highly spiced and share a deep red colour derived from the liberal use of dried red Kashmiri chillies. The curry house Rogan is also red but the colour comes from red peppers and tomatoes rather than Kashmiri chillies. The restaurant Rogan is characterised by its garnish of tomato pieces and fresh coriander. It is usually medium hot.

Saag

Saag gosht is a classic curry traditionally made with spinach and lamb. Saag is, strictly speaking, a general term for tender green leaves such as spinach, mustard greens and fresh fenugreek leaves. If you were talking about spinach on its own it would be called palak. Many restaurants these days will offer a chicken or a prawn alternative to lamb and so the dish will show on the menu as just “saag” or “palak” omitting the gosht (lamb) from the name altogether. The saag is usually served medium hot and is made in the bhuna style.

Vindaloo

The vindaloo was originally a Portuguese dish which took its name from the 2 main ingredients which were “vinho”, wine/wine vinegar, and “alhos”, garlic. Over time it was spiced up, hotted up and otherwise changed by the indigenous peoples of the ex-Portuguese colony of Goa.

Tikka Masala

To my mind, it is fruitless to enter the debate on the origins of the famous chicken tikka masala. If you want to remind yourself of the contending arguments then take a look at the essay on the subject “is it or isn’t it? – the chicken tikka masala story” by food historians Peter and Colleen Grove. Chicken tikka masala is the all-time most popular dish on the Indian restaurant menu and what the restaurant diner really needs to know is whether the restaurant is providing a good example of the dish. And what is a good example? Well, the chicken tikka pieces should be aromatic and slightly smoky from the tandoor. The masala sauce should be well spiced but not hot, rich and creamy and have a hint of coconut. Tikka masala usually has a deep red colour, gained from the use of artificial food colourings.